Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Participates in CSTO Ministerial Council Gathering in Kyrgyzstan
In a series of high-level meetings, Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Murat Nurtleu, has emphasised the country's commitment to enhancing multifaceted cooperation within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
On June 30, 2023, Nurtleu participated in the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Cholpon-Ata, where he outlined Kazakhstan's strategic approaches to regional security and cooperation. During the meeting, joint statements were adopted on countering radicalization leading to terrorism and extremism, on international information security, on the situation in the Middle East, and on the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Prior to this, on June 29, Nurtleu met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Almaty to discuss the current state and future prospects of Kazakh-Russian cooperation in various sectors, including politics, economy, transit, transport, energy, international organizations, and regional integration bodies. The officials exchanged views on regional and global matters and coordinated their calendars for high-level and top-level meetings.
Earlier in the month, Nurtleu also participated in a collective meeting of the Ministerial Council participants with the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Japarov. During the meeting, Nurtleu praised the Kazakh-Kyrgyz relations and emphasized the relevance of the priorities of the Kyrgyz Republic in the CSTO this year.
Looking ahead, the next meeting of the Ministerial Council, under the Kyrgyz Republic's chairmanship in the CSTO, will be held in Bishkek in the fourth quarter of this year, prior to the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council.
Kazakhstan's strategic approach towards regional security and cooperation within the CSTO focuses on comprehensive development and strengthened multilateral collaboration. This includes addressing regional security challenges collaboratively, fostering deeper cooperation with related regional organizations such as the CIS and the SCO, and maintaining active diplomatic communication with key CSTO members to ensure regional stability.
The meetings also highlighted the importance of operational readiness, with exercises like "Indestructible Brotherhood-2025" emphasizing the need for joint preparedness in the face of potential security threats.
[1] Central Asia News, "Kazakhstan's Strategic Approach to Regional Security and Cooperation within CSTO," June 30, 2023. [2] Kazakh Foreign Ministry, Press Release, "Meeting between Murat Nurtleu and Sergey Lavrov," June 29, 2023. [3] CSTO Press Service, "Joint Statement on Countering Radicalization Leading to Terrorism and Extremism," June 30, 2023.
In the subsequent political discussions, Murat Nurtleu, Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, will likely address policy-and-legislation matters concerning regional security and cooperation within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), given his emphasis on these aspects in various meetings. The same can be expected in discussions regarding Kazakh-Russian cooperation, as politics was a key sector discussed in Nurtleu's meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Moreover, general news outlets may cover the strategic approaches and joint statements adopted by Nurtleu and other CSTO members on issues like countering radicalization and international information security, which were topics at the recent CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.
